World Breastfeeding Week

Learn how employers can use World Breastfeeding Week to promote awareness of breastfeeding in the workplace and support employees who are breastfeeding at work.

The value of supporting World Breastfeeding Week at work

World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is a global campaign to raise awareness and promote action on themes related to breastfeeding.

For employers, the week provides an opportunity to promote awareness of breastfeeding in the workplace, share useful resources with employees and encourage conversations about breastfeeding at work.

Supporting employees who return to work while continuing to breastfeed offers significant benefits to workplaces:

• Retaining employees – staff are more likely to stay, reducing recruitment and training costs
• Boosting reputation – creating a breastfeeding-friendly environment strengthens your organisation’s reputation for supporting workforce wellbeing and social responsibility
• Saving money – support for breastfeeding can lead to fewer sick days due to healthier babies, while promoting sustainability and reducing long-term costs

Get involved in World Breastfeeding Week at work

Here are some ways you can celebrate World Breastfeeding Week in your workplace:

Promote breastfeeding in the workplace

Make sure employees are aware of the policies you have in place to support breastfeeding in your workplace.

Share information and resources

Share resources with employees throughout the week using your staff communications channels.

You can find advice, recommendations and case studies to share in this ACAS booklet.

Encourage conversations

Create a safe space for employees to share their experiences with breastfeeding.

Doing this can help build awareness and promote positive attitudes towards breastfeeding in the workplace.

Breastfeeding in the workplace

Here are some ways you can embed breastfeeding support in your workplace:

Policies and handbooks

You should outline the support available for breastfeeding in the workplace. Include how employees can request accommodations when returning to work while breastfeeding.

Make your policy available to all staff. You can add it to an existing policy or handbook and carry out regular reviews.

If you’re a smaller business, you may not need a formal policy. But it is still important to discuss breastfeeding support with employees.

You can find more advice, recommendations and case studies in this ACAS booklet.

Communication and culture

It is good practice to discuss breastfeeding arrangements with returning employees. You can do this during ‘keeping in touch’ (KIT) days.

Use staff communication channels to share information and promote workplace wellbeing campaigns. Doing this can help you promote a positive and inclusive culture.

Visit our campaigns and events section to find out more.

Support in the workplace

Returning employees who continue to breastfeed will most likely need to express milk at work, usually with a breast pump. Best practice includes providing:

• Extra breaks for expressing milk
• A clean, private, and lockable room (not a toilet)
• A designated fridge for milk storage

In some cases, employees may be able to directly breastfeed during the workday at their workplace, home or childcare facility. Employers should consider and support requests to do this wherever possible.

Find out more about breastfeeding support in the workplace.

Find out more

To find out how your workplace can get involved in World Breastfeeding Week and get resources you can use, visit the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) website.

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